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Time of India

In opposing land-pooling policy, Punjab BJP took the opportunity to mend fences with farmers

1 2 Chandigarh: Having faced massive backlash over the three controversial farm laws, which were eventually repealed by the BJP-led central govt, the Punjab BJP leadership saw an opportunity in the controversial land pooling policy of the AAP-led govt in Punjab to mend fences with farmers by opposing the policy tooth and nail. The anger against the BJP leaders over the three farm laws could be gauged from the fact that alleged activists of farm unions protested by chasing and tearing the clothes of then BJP MLA from Abohar, Arun Narang, in Malout town of Muktsar district in March 2021, around eight months before the Centre announced the repeal of the farm laws. In October 2020, the vehicle of Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma (who was Punjab BJP chief at that time) was attacked at a toll plaza in Hoshiarpur, where farmers were holding a protest. The anger against the BJP did not subside even after the laws were repealed, and BJP candidates in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls continued to face protests, particularly in rural areas. The party failed to win a single seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, and at the receiving end in rural areas were its candidates, such as famous singer Hans Raj Hans, (now a union minister of state) Ravneet Singh Bittu, and former IAS officer Parampal Kaur Sidhu, among others. It was no surprise then that the BJP saw the controversy over the land pooling policy as a platform to strike a chord with the farmers by opposing it tooth and nail, and an opportunity to find its feet in rural Punjab ahead of the 2027 assembly elections. After its over two-decades long alliance with the SAD broke over the farm laws in 2020, the BJP, predominantly a party with support base from urban areas, has been eyeing to make inroads into the rural areas as well. On August 6, the Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced a state-wide yatra, "Save Land, Save Farmers," from August 17 to September 5 against the policy, under the leadership of its working president Ashwani Sharma. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.